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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · saw · clip · sharp · lean · hide · tube · stock

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — goods
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — shares
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lean — thin
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com